I'm a big music fan. I couldn't hold a note if you glued it to my hand, but I certainly try when working in the studio. In general I'm most inspired by Indie bands such as The Mars Volta, Cloud Cult, or Sleater-Kinney, among others. I also have a lot of New Wave and Mod-Rock on my playlist. Even Flamenco gets me in the mood more than once per week. For some strange reason, however, I've lately been heavily inspired by outlaw country - mostly songs like Waylon Jennings's Ain't No God in Mexico or Willie Nelson's Pancho and Lefty. I'm not sure why, but there's something about the aggressive rhythm in these songs and others by Dolly Parton (Jolene), Kris Kristoferson (Casey's Last Ride, From the Bottle to the Bottom), or Townes Van Zant (Dead Flowers, Black Widow Blues). I can work in most conditions, but music definitely helps keep a mood. This in turn helps to keep my emotions on the canvas consistent, too.

I came across this NPR story about Raeanne Rubenstein's exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. She's done a lot of photography over the years, but this exhibit focuses on country stars. The two images in the article are of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. Can't go wrong with that.